Lauren and Amy host a house party. Karma reinvents herself.
Everyone is dealing with the aftermath of prom on Faking It by going to another party in order to avoid any of the real issues that they are currently dealing with. Prom was a very emotional night for all the characters. Some pushed themselves away from the people they love the most in this world in order to obtain some sense of happiness. Others pursued something new. All of these issues are further complicated when a massive party shows up at Lauren and Amy's house. It's not something either of them wanted. In fact, neither one of them end this night with what they actually wanted to do. That is personally devastating. But it does showcase just how chaotic the various characters and their decisions are right now on the show.Karma is trying to reinvent herself because she no longer wants to be sad and alone. She sees the people around her being able to be happy again. Amy, Liam and Shane have all moved past their heartbreak and found happiness again. Karma is struggling to move on. She is forcing herself to do so. That puts her in a very compromising position where both she and Shane are faced with having a threesome with each other and their shared love interest, Wade. Their night together didn't go as planned because Wade was the one who pulled out of their evening. Neither Karma nor Shane got what they wanted which makes it that much harder for them to face Amy and Liam the next morning.
Amy and Liam found that special connection at prom. Amy kissed Felix while Liam kissed Sasha. This is the first time in a long time that Amy has shown any interest in a guy in a sexual way. She appreciates her friendship with Felix. But she chose to act on her feelings because she didn't want to lead him on. Meanwhile, Liam took things a step further and actually slept with Sasha. It's a connection that both of them wanted even though they may be doing it for ulterior motives. No matter the circumstances, it appears as if Amy and Liam have found love and happiness again. It's so distracting and disruptive for Karma and Shane though. They are trying desperately to find that same connection. And now, that urge is making them so self-destructive. It's taking them away from the good people they desperately want to be.
Karma shows up at Amy and Lauren's party without a care in the world. She simply wants to be the girl having a good time. Things never went her way when she was a nice and good girl. In fact, this has been a pretty rough year for her. And yet, that doesn't mean she can't act the way that she does at the party. She doesn't want to feel the pain of her life anymore. She just wants to have fun and be happy. But that's destructive not only to her relationship with Amy but to herself. She wanted to go through with the threesome even though it made her uncomfortable. She wants to walk around this party knowing that her nipples are exposed to the world. She doesn't care anymore because caring didn't make her happy. It's a frustrating emotional state for her to be in right now. It also has a huge impact on Amy's relationship with Felix. Amy is more worried about Karma getting hurt than exploring her new feelings for Felix. That is further complicated when Amy and Karma kiss again after they have a sincere heart-to-heart about their feelings. That was a spur of the moment decision. But it's poised to have major complications heading into next week's season finale.
Additionally, Shane is taking his frustrations from the previous night out on Liam and his sister. He feels betrayed that the two of them would hook up and then flaunt it in his face. He puts on this armor that makes it appear that it doesn't hurt. It actually does - to the point where he risks destroying his relationship with both of them just to break them up. He knows how to manipulate Sasha. He just gets her to realize how foolish she has been acting over these past few weeks with her crush on Liam. That then leads to her reuniting with her old boyfriend who then wants to beat Liam up. Fortunately, Shane is still there to protect Liam but he's still not ready to forgive his best friend for what he did. Shane desperately wants to be a good person. But he still has these majorly selfish tendencies. He wants Liam to leave his house and find somewhere else to stay. That's cold and leaves this relationship broken at the moment.
And lastly, Lauren is doing her best to rebound from her breakup with Theo. She wanted a chance to find happiness that could be open and genuine. She wanted that emotion to be real all of the time and not just in private. She has come a long way as a character. She knows that her relationship with Theo wasn't as real as she needed it to be. She ends it despite how much pain that causes her. But trying to have sex with her ex-boyfriend Tommy just to deal with the complicated emotions of still being a virgin isn't the proper way to deal with the pain. Plus, she is set up to be hurt even more so because of it. Tommy is the one who throws this party at Lauren's house. He has been a much better guy to her over these past two episodes. And yet, he still sees Lauren as a person different from the norm. That still scares him and makes him insensitive to what she really needs. He refuses to have sex with her because he still doesn't understand what intersex means. He is more willing to listen to her. Plus, this means Lauren doesn't make a huge mistake. But in the moment, she feels hurt again in a new way that leaves her just as angry, alone and confused as everyone else.
Some more thoughts:
- "The Deep End" was written by Stefanie Leder and directed by Jeff Melman.
- Everyone learns that Felix is Principal Turner's son and they force him to get drunk to prove he isn't going to snitch to his father about this party. It's a decision that comes crashing back to reality when Felix hits the fire hydrant on his way back home to meet his curfew.
- It's amusing that both Shane and Karma try to tell the best possible version of their threesome and Liam and Amy immediately call them out on fabricating the details.
- Everyone saw the big Amy-Karma kiss in the pool, right? The lights came back on while their lips were still touching. The people in the crowd just needed to look in their direction for the second before Karma pulled away.
- Shane to Karma after kissing her: "Now, I know why everyone is in love with you."
- Shane: "I can't be mad at you for banging my sister because I was up all night banging Karma."
- Karma to Shane after kissing him: "I've always wanted to conquer a gay guy."
- Lauren to Theo: "You've really been listening when I talk about myself. I'm impressed."
